PHL ready to evacuate some 100 Filipinos in strife-torn Gaza – DFA

Published November 16, 2012 5:30pm

MANILA – The Philippine government is prepared to evacuate some 100 Filipinos in Gaza amid escalation of violence in the area and a looming ground invasion by Israeli troops in the Palestinian stronghold, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.

Around 30,000 of Israel’s reserved troops have been called to duty for a possible ground assault against Hamas militants, who were blamed for Thursday’s rocket attacks that killed three Israeli civilians and injured six others.

“There are about 100 Filipinos and members of their family in Gaza. The Philippine government remains ready to assist in getting them out of harm’s way in light of the evolving situation there,” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez told GMA News Online. There are 41,000 Filipinos in Israel, mostly caregivers. Filipinos there are “relatively safe” as they live in houses with bomb shelters, Hernandez said.

Foreign aid workers have been ordered to leave Gaza, reports said.

In Israel, the Philippine Embassy in capital Tel Aviv has already advised Filipino community “to be alert and ready for contingencies if the situation escalates,” Hernandez said.

Tel Aviv’s Ambassador to the Philippines Menashe Bar-On assured that Filipino workers will be protected in Israel.

“All foreigners in Israel are given the same security as Israelis,” he said. “Everyone is only 20 seconds away from a bomb shelter and there are rocket alarms to alert people when a rocket is coming.”

In the 2008-2009 three-week armed conflict in Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead, Hernandez said the Philippine government also repatriated Filipinos from the Gaza Strip.

“They returned when the situation subsided,” Hernandez said.

The Philippines is among the world’s largest supplier of foreign workers, mostly employed in the service sector. Remittances from Filipino migrant workers constitute a significant source of the country’s foreign exchange as they send home over $20 billion per year. - Michaela del Callar, VVP, GMA News

Tags: gaza, israel, departmentofforeignaffairs